Announcement: Delay, my new novels can be seen on the internet, but the publisher has delayed all their fiction output due to the economy. I'll keep you informed. More information can be found at www.ancientlight.com. Check out my novels--I think you'll really enjoy them.
Introduction: I wrote the novel Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon. This was my 21st novel and through this blog, I gave you the entire novel in installments that included commentary on the writing. In the commentary, in addition to other general information on writing, I explained, how the novel was constructed, the metaphors and symbols in it, the writing techniques and tricks I used, and the way I built the scenes. You can look back through this blog and read the entire novel beginning with http://www.pilotlion.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-novel-part-3-girl-and-demon.html.
I'm using this novel as an example of how I produce, market, and eventually (we hope) get a novel published. I'll keep you informed along the way.
The four plus one basic rules I employ when writing:
1. Don't confuse your readers.
2. Entertain your readers.
3. Ground your readers in the writing.
4. Don't show (or tell) everything.
5. Immerse yourself in the world of your writing.
All novels have five discrete parts:
1. The initial scene (the beginning)
2. The rising action
3. The climax
4. The falling action
5. The dénouement
The theme statement of my 26th novel, working title, Shape, is this: Mrs. Lyons captures a shape-shifting girl in her pantry and rehabilitates her.
Here is the cover proposal for Lilly: Enchantment and the Computer. Lilly is my 24th novel.
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| Cover Proposal |
I'm an advocate of using the/a scene input/output method to drive the rising action--in fact, to write any novel.
Scene development:
1. Scene input (easy)
2. Scene output (a little harder)
3. Scene setting (basic stuff)
4. Creativity (creative elements of the scene)
5. Tension (development of creative elements to build excitement)
6. Release (climax of creative elements)
I can immediately discern three ways to invoke creativity:
1. History extrapolation
2. Technological extrapolation
3. Intellectual extrapolation
Creativity is like an extrapolation of what has been. It is a reflection of something new created with ties to the history, science, and logic (the intellect). Creativity requires consuming, thinking, and producing.
One of my blog readers posed these questions. I'll use the next few weeks to answer them.
2. Character presentation (appearance, speech, behavior, gestures, actions)
3. Change, complexity of relationship, and relation to issues/theme
4. Evolving vs static character
5. Language and style
6. Verbal, gesture, action
7. Words employed
8. Sentence length
9. Complexity
10. Type of grammar
11. Diction
12. Field of reference or allusion
13. Tone
14. Mannerism suggest by speech
15. Style
16. Distinct manner of writing or speaking you employ, and why (like Pinter's style includes gaps, silences, non-sequitors, and fragments while Chekhov's includes 'apparent' inconclusiveness).
Moving on to 2. 2. Character presentation (appearance, speech, behavior, gestures, actions)
An author develops a character first and then reveals the character through the plot. Plot revelation is what it is all about. We do not reveal characters by telling. First develop, then reveal.
Appearance, speech, behavior, gestures, and actions are means of character revelation. I really like this list--let's look at each piece.
Actions define a character. Words are actions. Here is an example from the newest novel I'm writing. Essie is the Aos Si. She is also the goddess (guardian) of the fae. The fae don't like being ruled by a creature less beautiful, refined, and intelligent than they:
The
sun was just topping the trees and the banquet to celebrate the morning light
and the beginning day lay out on the deep green grass. Knolls rose at convenient spots just high
enough to provide a place to sit. The
Welsh fae, the Tylwyth Teg,
lived in the forest and the meadows.
They didn’t like anything over their heads. They relished the open air and the open
skies. Many diverse creatures sat
awaiting the blaze of the sun on the meadow and the coming of their king and
queen to begin the day. Essie could see
them. Some like humans beautiful and
fair with golden locks and pale petite faces.
Some appeared like humans mixed with animals: cefftk dwr and cwn annwn. Others were hideous and still others like
small humans with wings. All together
all celebrating the rising sun.
Essie
didn’t slow her run now. She rushed down
a forest game trail and burst out of the forest near the center of the open
space. She ran toward the center and
creatures scattered shrieking. Some rose
into the air on bright wings. Some
jumped out of her way. Others ran to the
side and back into the forest. Many
disappeared into the mist rising from the lake.
A great angry and forlorn cry went up.
Essie,
the Aos Si stood in the center of the meadow for a long moment. She began to pace around that center until
she had beaten down the grass. She stood
and turned. One moment, she was a black wildcat—the
next she stood naked in the center. A
great cry went up all around her, but she couldn’t tell if that was because of
her nakedness or because they recognized her.
Essie
turned around slowly twice to make certain they all saw her. She spoke the language of the fae. It was a bit rusty on her tongue, but she
knew it, and she spoke it very sternly, “Listen to me. I am the Aos Si, and I have come for a
reckoning.” The sunlight suddenly blazed
full on the center of the meadow. A rush
of morning breeze rustled in the tops of the trees. A bright light seemed to settle at the top of
Essie’s head—like a tongue of dancing flames.
No
one spoke.
“Are
you afraid? You should be. You took a human who is under my care. Bring her immediately to me.”
Still
she heard not a sound.
Essie
stepped to the closest repast she kicked over the woven platters there. She knocked over their clay cups and broke
them against each other. She tore apart
the platters. She gathered the pieces
and the fae food and kicked them into the center. She began to squat above them on the center
of the knoll.
A
voice rang out of the mist, “Stop. Don’t
desecrate this place any further.”
Essie
stood, “I have barely begun to desecrate this place. I have not loosed my power at all. You have not showed me the honor I deserve.”
The
voice was filled with anguish, “Must we?”
“I
demand it. I am the Aos Si, and I demand
you honor me as you are required.”
A
sudden cry went up. Angry voices
surrounded her.
Essie
stood silently. She was completely at
ease. She sat in her hip. She didn’t attempt to hide her
nakedness. Essie yawned, “You might as
well show yourselves. I can detect you
all anyway. I know where you are, and I
know who you are. Pryderi fab Pwyll of
the Tylwyth Teg show yourself.”
“Nay. This not fitting. We may not look upon you while you are…you
are…”
“While
I am not clothed? Then bring me my robes
and give me the proper greeting. Have
you been so long without my guidance that you can’t even remember your
manners?”
Pryderi
called out, “Cigfa bring the robe.”
A
woman’s voice rose over the din, “The robe, my lord?”
Pryderi
snarled, “Yes, the robe. Bring it now or
we will not be rid of it.”
Another
man’s voice called out, “I thought you said this would bring the White Lady on
her head and not this creature on ours.”
Essie
growled, “Do it now, or I will ruin your secret place for ages to come. You know I can do it.”
“Aye,
I know this. I didn’t think you would
come…”
“Yet,
I am here and waiting very impatiently.”
A
woman of dazzling beauty with long golden hair appeared behind Essie. She held a simple robe of nearly translucent
material. It looked as if it had been
woven of spider webs. Essie held out her
hands and Cigfa placed it on Essie’s arms and wrapped it around her body. Cifga did everything she could not to come
into contact with Essie’s flesh.
More tomorrow.
For more information, you can visit my author site http://www.ldalford.com/, and my individual novel websites:
http://www.ancientlight.com/
http://www.aegyptnovel.com/
http://www.centurionnovel.com
http://www.thesecondmission.com/
http://www.theendofhonor.com/
http://www.thefoxshonor.com
http://www.aseasonofhonor.com
http://www.aegyptnovel.com/
http://www.centurionnovel.com
http://www.thesecondmission.com/
http://www.theendofhonor.com/
http://www.thefoxshonor.com
http://www.aseasonofhonor.com
fiction, theme, plot, story, storyline, character development, scene, setting, conversation, novel, book, writing, information, study, marketing, tension, release, creative, idea, logic
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